The 20th century in Atlantic City started with a rapid infrastructure change. The boarding houses were replaced with large hotels. The construction of the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel and Traymore Hotel was also started in the early 1900s. Edward L. Bader was elected as the mayor of the city in the 1920s. The city bought land for Convention Hall, now known as the Boardwalk Hall, worth $1.5 million at that time. Below is a collection of incredible pictures showing streets, famous landmarks, and everyday life in Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore from the early 20th century. Vote your favorites
1900s Atlantic City: 50+ Incredible Photos Towns, Beaches, Landmarks And Everyday Life Of Atlantic City
The roads are littered with clothing and horse spit. There’s nothing like sweating your butt off with that pleasant aroma in the air.
While the idea of going back to the early 1900s scared me, I can say I bet the water, boardwalk, and city streets were cleaner.
Thanks for sharing – I grew up in AC in the 80s/90s, but my grandparents had all types of pictures like these in storage. Come to think of it, I should try tracking those down and scanning them. There are a lot of AC history buffs out there that could help identify landmarks and people.
Not many people could swim back then so they mostly stayed on the beach or only went in the water up to their knees.
The term bathing is accurate, my grandfather was born in the 20s and spoke a lot about the steel pier in ac. He only used the term bathing, never said swimming.
lol some of these captions are bizzare “The Jersey Shore circa 1910. Bathers at Atlantic City. Many of them gamely striking a pose for the camera as they peer into the existential void.”